Berkeley Humane opened its first thrift shop during the pandemic as a way to diversify its revenue and to give volunteers other ways to engage with the rescue, according to the organization's executive director, Jeffrey Zerwekh. The new Elmwood shop, which is entirely volunteer-run, is a way to tap into another population of volunteers. Berkeley Humane has hundreds of volunteers, but not everyone is able to engage in direct animal care.
The shop, which opened on Nov. 1, is highly curated, according to Zerwekh, and carries new and vintage clothing, framed art, jewelry, and home decor. Unlike the Solano Avenue store, the new location does not hold mobile pet adoptions, but it is something Zerwekh hopes to start in the future.
All proceeds from the shop help support the Hope Medical Fund, which provides specialized medical care to shelter animals. Public shelters usually aren't funded for anything but the basics... More complicated surgeries, such as a recent double enucleation of a cat who had an eye infection so severe that both eyes had to be removed, are beyond what most public shelters can handle.
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